Anthony Edwards and Barack Obama have given basketball fans one of the more entertaining pairings of the week. The Minnesota Timberwolves star and the former president appeared together in a new promotional video, trading jumpers, jokes, and competitive banter in a lighthearted one-on-one setting. The video was tied to the upcoming opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
What mades the clip work so well isn’t just the novelty of seeing an NBA star share the court with a former president, rather than the tone. Edwards, whose personality has become one of the league’s most recognizable, leaned naturally into the trash talk, while Obama played along with the same relaxed confidence that has long made his basketball appearances instantly shareable.
The appearance also builds on a connection that already had some public history. Obama previously shared a memorable interaction with Edwards around the U.S. men’s Olympic team, and this latest collaboration gave that running joke a new chapter.
When Anthony Edwards pressed Barack Obama and told him he’s “The Truth” 😭 https://t.co/MIULkRJ9NX pic.twitter.com/vwHcwGOL58
— v! (@Vullety) January 16, 2026
In the new video, the two do more than just shoot baskets, with ping-pong and Connect Four also part of the challenge, all while promoting the center’s opening on June 19 in Chicago’s Jackson Park.
Ant Edwards. President Barack Obama.
It began at Team USA Training camp and turned into a game of one-on-one we didn’t know we needed. pic.twitter.com/bJXdxMXVa7
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) March 17, 2026
For Edwards, the moment fits neatly into his growing place in the league’s broader culture. He is no longer just a young star putting up numbers for Minnesota. He is becoming one of the NBA’s most visible personalities, someone comfortable in both the competitive spotlight and the viral one. Sharing the screen with Obama only reinforced that.
In the end, the story is simple but effective: basketball remains one of the rare things that can naturally bridge generations, titles, and worlds. Put a current NBA star and a basketball-loving former president in the same gym, add a little trash talk, and the result is exactly what this became.
